cannonade

1 of 2

noun

can·​non·​ade ˌka-nə-ˈnād How to pronounce cannonade (audio)
1
: a heavy fire of artillery
2
: an attack (as with words) likened to artillery fire : bombardment
The president's decision was attacked with a cannonade of criticism.

cannonade

2 of 2

verb

cannonaded; cannonading

transitive verb

: to attack with or as if with artillery

intransitive verb

: to deliver artillery fire

Examples of cannonade in a Sentence

Noun The French directed a cannonade at the British for three hours. the director of the sporting event was greeted at the scene with a cannonade of complaints Verb the artillery cannonaded the enemy encampment all night
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Artillery cannonade from both sides is heard around the clock. Andrew E. Kramer, New York Times, 7 Dec. 2023 Fireworks shook the rafters like an incoming cannonade. Kate Bachelder Odell, WSJ, 13 Dec. 2022 The conclusion of your letter makes my heart throb more than a cannonade. CBS News, 9 Aug. 2022 In general, however, the report was a cap-gun ending to an inquiry whose backers hinted would turn up a cannonade of fraud. BostonGlobe.com, 24 Sep. 2021 Watson’s cannonade of wonders and statistics sometimes proceeds in almost carnival mood, leading to arbitrary indulgences. Colin Thubron, The New York Review of Books, 17 Nov. 2020 Since his first day on the job, President Trump has signed a cannonade of executive orders and memoranda targeting policies impacting the environment, health care, infrastructure & more. Kevin Corke, Fox News, 14 July 2017
Verb
But Americans chose to cannonade each other with pamphlets, not artillery. Joseph Tartakovsky, WSJ, 2 July 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cannonade.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1562, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1637, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of cannonade was in 1562

Dictionary Entries Near cannonade

Cite this Entry

“Cannonade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cannonade. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

cannonade

noun
can·​non·​ade
ˌkan-ə-ˈnād
: heavy firing of artillery
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